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Maui

The best vacation ever!

By J.W. BairdPublished 3 years ago 3 min read
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I was 15 years old when my mom took us to Maui for one of her big birthdays. I guess she figured she would never have another opportunity to go so why wait anymore.

Our first day there I remember we went down to the beach near our hotel. We were so excited to try boogie boarding as it was something we have never done before.

It was cloudy out and the water was cold. There weren’t more than a few people left on the beach. The force of the waves kept knocking me down and pulling me underneath the water.

It was difficult to catch my breath, I got tired quickly, and continuing to play amongst the ocean’s waves got harder and harder.

Could it be that the locals knew more than our family? Afterall, we were from the mainland so what did we know. How could the ocean be so deadly?

We headed back to our rooms for the night. The next morning when we woke up what a wonderful sight. The weather was gorgeous. It was perfect for our road trip on the road to Hana.

The beaches black colored sands and rocky shores were such a fun place to go and explore. We had heard of a couple of other great destinations. But our time there was limited, and we had other reservations. It was another great day during a fabulous vacation.

Finally, the day came when I learned to surf. My mom wanted so badly to try, but her chronic pain made her stand on the side lines and watch. I told here it would hurt too much and would make her cry.

The instructor first had us learn how to go from lying down on the board to standing up on dry land. After we practiced for a while, it was time to take our surfboards out into the great Moana. That is how you say ocean in Hawaiian.

It only took me a few tries. A couple of times of me falling off my surfboard led me to succeed in riding this wonderous wave straight onto the shore. It was so exhilarating. It was like nothing I had experienced before.

That night we attended the Wailele Polynesian Luau at our hotel. It was held outside and was the perfect setting to present the fire goddess Pele, and the fire dancers.

The next day we spent some time in Lahaina on Front Street. I remember how it brought the biggest smile to my mom’s face. But my brother and I complained a lot as she preferred to walk through the art galleries which was not our favorite place.

There were so many stores that lined the street. Later that night after we ate, we went to Whalers Village to do some more shopping to bring home souvenirs to our extended family.

Unfortunately, our good time had to come to an end. However, in hopes to not cut our trip to soon we decided to take the bus into town for one last mini adventure.

We spent our last few hours at the Maui Ocean Center. The coolest thing I seen there was the Manō Pā‘ele also known as the blacktip reef shark. It is one of 40 species of sharks that inhabit the island of Maui.

My mom loves swimming in the ocean and the open sea over pools. But she wears contacts, so she swims with her eyes closed. She freaked out when she seen all the different living creatures that roam the waters and have made Maui their home.

It probably did not help that I told her blacktip reef sharks like to spend time in shallow waters inshore. We continued onto the walk thru tunnel as we roamed the halls. Where we seen a variety of other sharks, fish, and stingrays too.

There was a virtual experience that showcased Koholā, Humpback whales, and a turtle lagoon. The Honu, Hawaiian green sea turtle, is the largest hard-shelled sea turtle in the world.

I guess Hawaii is really the home to some pretty exotic and beautiful sights! Maui was the best vacation ever!

Adventure
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About the Creator

J.W. Baird

Who Am I?

I keep asking myself. I spent half of my life as a single mother. Pushing myself to be the strong independent individual that I have always been. My kids have grown and my life seems turned upside down.

I now search to find myself!

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